Monday, May 5, 2008

I know, I know, some say this is a "manufactured" ethnic holiday (see: St. Patrick's Day) created mostly by big-name beer companies (see: Corona), but this is also a day of pride for Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans, especially on West Coast and in the southwest part of the country.

Also, the Mexican population in the Bronx is expanding rapidly. Anecdotal evidence: two new authentic Mexican restaurants opened in Norwood in the past month, one on Gun Hill Road, the other on 204th Street. Disfruta!

Here's an excerpt from the Chronicle article about the origins of the holiday:

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is treated as a celebration of Mexican heritage, much like St. Patrick's Day is to Irishness or Lunar New Year is to Chinese culture. It's sometimes confused with Mexican Independence Day, which is actually Sept. 16, the day in 1810 when Mexicans first declared their intention to be free from Spanish rule.

Cinco de Mayo is not a Mexican Fourth of July, and it's not "Drinko de Mayo," as the beer companies have tried to fashion it. In fact it celebrates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, when a ragtag Mexican army fought off an attack by the larger and better-equipped French force sent by Emperor Napoleon III to conquer Mexico.

The French, along with Spanish and English troops, had invaded Mexico in 1861 after Mexican President Benito Juarez declared he was suspending payment on the country's foreign debts. The Spanish and English withdrew after negotiating settlement of the debt. But Napoleon, hoping to gain a foothold in the Americas to counter the growing power of the United States, ordered his troops to attack.

At the Battle of Puebla, in central Mexico, 2,000 Mexican troops successfully defended their forts against 6,000 French soldiers. They won the battle, but Napoleon won the war, installing his cousin Maximilian as emperor of Mexico. It wasn't until 1867 that he was deposed and Juarez regained the presidency.

1 comment:

Bronx News Network reserves the right to remove comments that include personal attacks, name calling, foul language, commercial advertisements, spam, or any language that might be considered threatening, libelous or inciting hate.

User comments are reviewed by BxNN staff and may be included or excluded at our discretion.

If what you have to say is unrelated to this particular post, please visit our readers' forum.

FEATURED BLOG POSTS

FEATURED COMMENTS

"Can they please seize the money illegally paid to Espada's thug... er... campaigners? It might not help the State budget that much, but it's the right thing to do!" - MN FROM: Bronx News Roundup, Aug. 8

"I love the way they say, " there is no immediate danger". They say its not serious but if that's the case, why are students being moved. I don't think it's right at all that parents would not be immediately part of the process. I do not care for any decision to be made with out my input or knowledge regarding my children."- GinetteFROM: P.S. 51, The Bronx New School, To Be Moved Because of Contamination

FEATURED FORUM POSTS

"There is a new yoga/fitness studio that just opened on Webster Ave. It is called Rizzque Studio and Boutique and is located at 3037 Webster Ave. (between Mosholu and 203rd)..."- evonuhl
FROM: Health, Sport, & Fitness

"I went to Umai [Sushi] this weekend with my friends and we had the best time... We were there for a couple of hours and ordered tons of food. The sushi was really good and fresh..."
- BxFoodieFROM: Food, Restaurants, & Bars